The Alabama Crimson Tide football team was honored by President Trump during their White House celebration visit, Saban warns his players not to protest.

As we all know, it has become a tradition for sports teams in our country to visit the White House after every championship win (usually in major sports). The winners are blessed with the tremendous opportunity of being honored by the President of the United States and having a tour of the most iconic building in our country.

We have already witnessed a couple sports franchises and specific players opt out of the opportunity for the White House visit, specifically during Donald Trump’s presidency. We have also witnessed the disrespect and classlessness displayed by some of these “championship teams/players”, their reasoning behind the conduct stems strictly from opposing political thoughts and issues. The most recent example of the tasteless behavior is the 2017 Golden State Warriors, led by Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, two NBA players who have been extremely outspoken about President Trump.

When Nick Saban received the call that informed him that the Alabama football team has the opportunity to visit the White House and meet the President, he laid down the law for his players. The legendary coach made it clear that boycotting the trip was not an option, every champion will be in attendance if having the ability to be honored.

Saban held a meeting with his players informing them about the visit and his reasoning behind why no player will have the option to skip out, saying.

“Hey, we’re doing this regardless of your political thoughts. We’re going, just to celebrate this team. It’s an honor. And just to be able to say that you’ve gone to the White House is something that you can cherish forever.”

“You know, not many people get invited to the White House, so not many people get invited to see the President and meet the President. So this is a special day for our team. A team that is being honored here because of their achievements in terms of winning the college football national championship, which makes me very proud,” Said Alabama’s head coach Nick Saban.

It really is awesome to see that not every mainstream sports coach/player follow the “in political crowd” like sheep. Nick Saban understands that he and his football team are not getting a call from the President of the United States for their “expert” political opinion. They received the call from the President to be honored for their tremendous hard work, dedication, and spirit, displayed during their championship run.

Saban sat his players down like men, relayed the information, and helped them understand the reasoning behind the importance of deciding to accept the White House celebration invitation. His players seemed to quickly understand their coach’s stance.

“A lot of guys weren’t really tripping off the situation of going to the White House,” Lewis said. “I know for me, for personal preference, I wanted to go just for the fact I’ve been in that city for a long time and never been to the White House. It was a definitely an honor. We more had to think of it as ‘OK, we’re not going for whatever the political problems and the president, it’s mainly for the honor of being at the White House.” Said the Alabama football player.

Coach Saban was able to do something many sports figures aren’t able to do in today’s society…that is to not be political in every single facet of life. Just taking things for what they really are, not looking so deeply into everything. He understood that it is an extreme honor for his team and university to be celebrated by the President of the United States. He understands that these opportunities aren’t available for everyone in life and that these moments are “once in a lifetime” and should never be taken for granted.

About The Editor

Originally from Canton, Michigan, Hank Eckardt graduated from the University of Notre Dame with degrees in Political Science and Spanish. He then moved to Washington, D.C. to work for Congressman Kerry Bentivolio in 2014. After working in political fundraising for 3 years, he began as editor-in-chief of TheLead.com in June 2017.